Plate-type heat pipe and method of manufacturing the same

ABSTRACT

A plate-type heat pipe includes a first plate, a capillary structure and a support structure. The first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure are arranged in sequence, and the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure are tightly connected by pressing. A method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe is also discussed.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The instant disclosure relates to a plate-type heat pipe; in particular, to a plate-type heat pipe using two-phase flow recirculation for heat transferring and a method of manufacturing the same.

2. Description of Related Art

The trend of technology development is ever complicating, for example, the integrated circuits or laptop. The shrinking volume of electronic products is accompanied by the issue of heat dissipation. During operation, the heat generated by an electronic device is considerably high. The electronic components are therefore equipped with suitable heat sink or device to increase the rate of heat dissipation. Especially to the central processing unit, the air-cooled system is replaced by liquid-cooled system for efficiently maintaining optimal operation temperature.

Additionally, heat pipe is implemented in heat dissipation design. The plate-type heat pipe is a variation of tubular heat pipe. The two structures employ the same heat dissipation mechanism, which transfers heat by two-phase flow recirculation.

However, the conventional plate-type heat pipe includes a plate, capillaries and a support structure. After disposing the capillaries and the support structure onto the plate, further brazing or diffusion bonding is required to secure the capillaries and support structure on the plate. The fabrication process consumes considerable time and labor and the manufacturing cost remains high. Thus, the conventional heat pipe is not competitive in the current market.

To address the above issues, the inventor strives via associated experience and research to present the instant disclosure, which can effectively improve the limitation described above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The instant disclosure provides a plate-type heat pipe and a method of manufacturing the same. The manufacturing process is simplified to save time and labor and therefore reduces cost for better product competiveness.

According to one embodiment of the instant disclosure, the plate-type heat pipe includes a first plate, a capillary structure and a support structure. The first plate, capillary structure and support structure are arranged in sequence and tightly connected by pressing.

The instant disclosure also provides a method of manufacturing the plate-type heat pipe. The method includes firstly providing a first plate, a capillary structure and a support structure. The first plate, capillary structure and support structure are arranged in sequence and pressed to allow tight connection.

The plate-type heat pipe is formed by pressing the first plate, capillary structure and support structure and therefore brazing or diffusion bonding can be omitted in the manufacturing process. This fabrication method simplifies the overall process, reduces time and labor and decreases cost to enhance product competiveness.

In order to further understand the instant disclosure, the following embodiments are provided along with illustrations to facilitate the appreciation of the instant disclosure; however, the appended drawings are merely provided for reference and illustration, without any intention to be used for limiting the scope of the instant disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram (I) showing a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram (II) showing a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram (III) showing a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram (IV) showing a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a plate-type heat pipe of the instant disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The aforementioned illustrations and following detailed descriptions are exemplary for the purpose of further explaining the scope of the instant disclosure. Other objectives and advantages related to the instant disclosure will be illustrated in the subsequent descriptions and appended drawings.

First Embodiment

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the instant disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe. The details are further elaborated herein.

Step S110, firstly, a first plate 1, a capillary structure 2 and a support structure 3 are provided. The first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 superimpose on one another. Specifically, the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are disposed successively in that order.

The first plate 1 may be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The shape of the first plate 1 is not restricted by the instant embodiment. It is worth noting that the first plate 1 can be the bottom or the top of the plate-type heat pipe. The face that immediately contacts the capillary structure 2 of the first plate 1 may be formed with a capillary tissue 11. The capillary tissue 11 can be grooves or formed by powder sintering or both.

The capillary structure 2 may be grid, fiber, or formed by powder sintering or the combination thereof. In the instant embodiment, the capillary structure 2 is a grid (for example, copper grid).

The support structure 3 can be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The configuration of the support structure 3 is not limited by the instant embodiment. In the instant embodiment, the support structure 3 has a plurality of support bodies 31. The support bodies 31 may be cylindrical, polygonal, rectangular, or the like and the instant disclosure is not limited thereto. In the instant embodiment, the support bodies 31 are cylindrical pillars having the same diameter overall, i.e., each column has the same dimension. The support bodies may vary in size in another embodiment whereas uniform dimension simplifies the manufacturing process.

Step S120, subsequently, the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are pressed. The pressing allows the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 for tight connection to build the main scaffold of the plate-type heat pipe.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a mold 5 is fixed on the press machine (not shown) for conducting the pressing process.

Additionally, before the pressing process, a plurality of grooves 12 can be formed on the first plate 1 cooperatively positioned to the support bodies 31. The end of the support bodies 31 that immediately contacts the first plate 1 has a diameter D larger than the diameter d of the groove 12. When pressing the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3, the support bodies 31 are tightly connected with the first plate 1 by mating with the grooves 12. The capillary structure 2 is fixed between the first plate 1 and the support bodies 31 by clamping and each layer is closely stacked on one another (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6).

Step S130, additionally, a second plate 4 is provided. The second plate 4 may be made of copper, aluminum or other metallic materials exhibiting desired heat conductivity. The second plate 4 is configured to coincide with the first plate 1. It is worth noting the second plate 4 can be the bottom or the top of the plate-type heat pipe. The connection of the first plate 1 and second plate 4 results in a completed plate-type heat pipe. The first plate 1 and second plate 4 can be connected by brazing, diffusion bonding or the like to define a chamber 41 between the first and second plates 1, 4. The chamber 41 is vacuumed and fluid fills therein (not shown). Different phase conversion of the fluid can rapidly and evenly transfer the heat generated by electronic components.

Second Embodiment

Referring to FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the instant disclosure provides a plate-type heat pipe. The plate-type heat pipe includes a first plate 1, a capillary structure 2 and a support structure 3. The capillary structure 2 can be grid, fiber, or formed by powder sintering or the combination thereof. The first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are stacked in sequence. One face of the first plate 1 that immediately contacts the capillary structure 2 may be formed with a capillary tissue 11. The support structure 3 includes a plurality of support bodies 31 being cylindrical, polygonal, rectangular, or any other geometric configuration. The first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are tightly connected by pressing.

A plurality of grooves 12 can be formed on the first plate 1 cooperatively positioned to the support bodies 31. The ends of the support bodies 31 that immediately contact the first plate 1, have a diameter D larger than the diameter d of the groove 12. When the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 are pressed, the support bodies 31 are tightly connected with the first plate 1 by mating with the grooves 12. That is to say, the support bodies 31 are fittingly plugged into the grooves 12 of the first plate 1. The capillary structure 2 is fixed between the first plate 1 and the support bodies 31 by clamping and the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support bodies 31 are closely stacked on one another.

In another embodiment of the instant disclosure, a plurality of protrusions (not shown) is formed on the first plate 1. The end of each support body 31 is formed with a depression (not shown) configured to mate with the protrusions. By pressing the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and the support structure 3, the depression portion of the support bodies 31 engages with the protrusions of the first plate 1. In other words, the mating configuration among the first plate 1, capillary structure 2 and support structure 3 may vary according to preferable design.

In addition, the plate-type heat pipe may include a second plate 4. Upon connection of the first plate 1 and second plate 4, a chamber 41 is defined between the first and second plates 1, 4. The chamber 41 is vacuumed and fluid fills therein (not shown).

In summary, the first plate, capillary structure and support structure are tightly connected by pressing. Hence, brazing or diffusion bonding among the first plate, capillary structure and support structure is not required in the manufacturing process. The method of manufacturing the plate-type heat pipe reduces time and labor and brings down the cost, thus increasing product competiveness.

The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the characteristics of the instant disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the instant disclosure delineated by the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A plate-type heat pipe, comprising: a first plate; a capillary structure; and a support structure; wherein the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure are arranged in sequence, and the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure are tightly connected by pressing.
 2. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the support structure includes a plurality of support bodies, and the ends of the support bodies are tightly connected to the first plate.
 3. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the first plate has a plurality of grooves corresponding to the support bodies, and one end of each of the support bodies fittingly mates with the corresponding groove of the first plate.
 4. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 2, wherein the capillary structure is fixed between the first plate and the support structure by clamping.
 5. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the first plate has a capillary tissue formed on one face thereof to immediately contact the capillary structure.
 6. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, wherein the capillary structure is formed by grid, fiber, powder sintering or a combination thereof.
 7. The plate-type heat pipe according to claim 1, further comprising: a second plate correspondingly connected to the first plate to define a chamber, wherein the chamber is vacuumed and filled with fluid.
 8. A method of manufacturing a plate-type heat pipe, comprising: providing a first plate, a capillary structure and a support structure, wherein the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure are arranged in sequence; and pressing the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure for tightly connecting the first plate, the capillary structure and the support structure.
 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the support structure includes a plurality of support bodies, and the ends of the support bodies are tightly connected to the first plate.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the first plate has a plurality of grooves corresponding to the support bodies, and one end of each of the support bodies fittingly mates with the corresponding groove of the first plate.
 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the capillary structure is fixed between the first plate and the support structure by clamping.
 12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first plate has a capillary tissue formed on one face thereof to immediately contact the capillary structure.
 13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the capillary structure is formed by grid, fiber, powder sintering or a combination thereof.
 14. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: a second plate correspondingly connected to the first plate to define a chamber, wherein the chamber is vacuumed and filled with fluid. 